D-Day Conneaut 2014
/My siblings and I recently had the privilege of participating as civilian reenactors at the D-Day Conneaut Reenactment in Ohio this past weekend. It is the largest D-Day reenactment in the U.S., this year hosting over 1200 reenactors, and many thousands of spectators.
Mess call! A short break in the day for the reenactors to grab a bite to eat: military style.
2014 is not only the 15th anniversary of the reenactment but also the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. The turnout was amazing. Besides the increased numbers of reenactors, they also received a whopping 133 WWII veterans (many of whom were D-Day veterans) who attended the event as special guests and speakers.
This kind veteran was part of Patton's army. He served in the war along with his twin and elder brother.
There is so much to tell about the wonderful veterans we met and the stories they shared with us. Each veteran we met was uniquely special, and we were so blessed to have this incredible opportunity. Please stay tuned as we write these stories down and get them out one by one. For now, here's just a few of photos (there are many more to come so look for part two shortly!).
Faith sang everywhere we went. Here she is singing "White Cliffs of Dover" to WWII Veteran Armand Carlucci. It was so wonderful to watch the veteran's faces as she sang the songs of their time. Often times, they would join in with her.
Mr. Jacob Kesiatie was stationed just a little ways from us at the San Marcos Military Hospital in Texas throughout the war. He said his favorite thing about Texas was the Bluebonnets. He had never seen anything like them before.
Honor and Pro were very much the favorites of the trip. They were stopped nearly everywhere we went by veterans and reenactors who wanted to comment on their smart uniforms. It was really wonderful to see the Navy veterans talking to them and showing them how to fold their Dixie Cups (white hats), or what the insignia on their uniforms meant.
Mr. Arthur "Pat" Engleburg told us that secret to his age (just a mere 99 1/2 years young) was gratitude and a thankful heart. He said, "Every morning I say, 'Thank you Lord for this day,' and I also say, 'thank you for making me better looking every day.'"
“Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world, and that God will preserve it always. ”
